USAMU to host Army Small Arms championships

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, in conjunction with the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, will host the ‘All-Army’ 2010 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships Feb. 20-27. Training and competitions are open to all Soldiers including West Point and college ROTC cadets, Army Reservists and National Guardsmen.

The All-Army matches consist of small arms firing schools, Excellence-in-Competition matches and special combined-arms combat matches. Champions will be awarded All-Army trophies and Soldiers can earn EIC Marksmanship Badges, which are permanent-wear Army awards as prescribed by Army Regulation 600-22.

“The ‘All-Army’ is designed to test the entire depth of a Soldier’s shooting ability,” said LTC Daniel Hodne, commander, USAMU. “To succeed in the U.S. Army Small-Arms Championships, you must effectively employ the range of individual weapons from pistol, to rifle, and even to sniper rifle. Doing so with precision while under the stress of competition will challenge even the most experienced of shooters.”

Soldiers will compete in separate Cadet, Novice, Open and Pro classes based on their competition experience.

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Soldiers will fire M16 or M4 service rifles at distances between 25-500 yards and M9 pistols between 7-35 yards. The long-range matches consist of firing the M21 or M24 at targets from 800-1,000 yard distances.Special category awards and trophies will be given for High Drill Sergeant, High Novice and High Enlisted Soldier, Guard, and Reserve in grades E1-E4. Cadets enrolled in an Army ROTC program are eligible to receive a scholarship for up to $6,000.

Teams at battalion-level and above will compete for team awards and unit recognition. All Soldiers will receive advanced marksmanship instruction and training materials to conduct Train-the-Trainer clinics upon return to their home station.

“The USAMU will provide training on all of the weapons prior to the start of the match program,” Hodne said. “All Soldiers will leave the ‘All-Army’ as more capable marksman, no matter where they find themselves in the overall standings.”

At the matches, coaches and noncommissioned officers-in-charge of the USAMU Service Rifle and Pistol teams will scout, identify and invite selected Soldiers to compete at the Interservice Championships and the National Matches later this summer. Soldiers selected to represent the active Army are funded by the USAMU.

“It’s a win-win for the Soldiers who participate,” said CPT Seth Loertscher, operations officer, USAMU. “They get invaluable training from the Army’s best shooters and have all of the ammunition provided for them. All they have to do is get in their gear, shoot weapons for an entire week and they’ll walk away with some great prizes and a memorable experience. It’s guaranteed to be a good time for the competitors.”

For more information, to register and check out the match bulletin, visit www.usamu.com, call Michael Behnke at 706-545-7841 or e-mail michael.behnke@usaac.army.mil, or clarence.fedrick@usaac.army.mil.